Types of electronic medical records - Essay Example

? Electronic Health Records Electronic Health Records An electronic health record is a digital version of a patient’s medical information which is maintained by the user over time. It usually keeps records on the relevant clinical information about the patient’s health history. Mainly it includes information on the person’s demographics, health problems, vital signs, progress notes, medications, previous medical history, radiology report, immunizations and laboratory data among others. The electronic health records create a closer relationship between the patient and the clinician because the patient’s details are accessed easily through electronic means. They also improve the chances of the patient’s problems being diagnosed accurately because their history is readily and accurately available. As such, the clinician is able to go back in time and analyze the previous diagnoses and treatments. The electronic health records are electronically generated using software with different capabilities and showing different forms of results. The software is made to serve different purposes in maintaining the patient’s records. Below are different software used in electronic health records and how they work (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). Allscrips Electronic Health Records Allscrips electronic health record is software generated into three different systems which includes: My way, Professional and Enterprise. My way is designed to best serve an office with less than three physicians. This means that it personalizes the records to levels that it will be simple for less than three physicians to use without overwhelming it. Hence, it can be termed as a light-duty electronic health record keeper (Software Advice, 2011). Professional electronic health record is designed to serve less than forty health officers. This means that the software is capable of successfully showing details of less than 40 patients at once. Thus if the request to show information exceeds forty, the system may experience delays or even crash. It is ideal for a medium-sized health institution. The Enterprise electronic health record software is designed in such a manner that it can handle large number of requests to display patient’s health records. The software can handle a big number of requests thus making it ideal for large health institutions. It is also used commercially hence given the name enterprise electronic health records software. eClinicalWorks This is one of the biggest and most popular electronic health records vendors. It has a customer base of more than 55, 000 customers who have their records electronically stored. The main reason behind its popularity is the fact that it is easily accessible in most of the health institutions, and hence, the chances of the patient failing to get their records are low. This means that a patient can be treated by different physicians in different locations and still provide the same information to the different medical practitioners. The software popularity and efficiency have won it several electronic health record awards. The software is also widely accepted and also legitimate as it is ONC-ATCB certified (Software Advice, 2011). Aprima Electronic Health Record The Aprima electronic health record is popular and acceptable with many people. The software boasts of several features that are not available in the other electronic health record software. Among the unique properties of the Aprima electronic health record software is the feature that incorporates billing and scheduling. This makes it possible for the patient to get the breakdown and total of the treatment charges. The software also reminds the patients of their schedule and appointments with the clinician. The advanced features make it usable by any size or type of practice. The legitimacy of the software is proved by the fact that it is also ONC-ATCB certified. Greenway primeSUITE 2011 This is electronic health record software which has grown to be a market leader in this line of products. It has become popular because it is used by health officers in more than thirty specialties. This means that it stores information for many conditions, hence making the physicians have a simple time retrieving data on different cases. Many reports and assessments have put it as one of the top electronic health records software. It is also certified and hence it is legitimate (Software Advice, 2011). Sage Intergy Sage Intergy is electronic health record software used by more than 80,000 physicians. The software provides specialized electronic health record solutions in a relatively shorter time compared to the others. It also has an advantage in the fact that it combines electronic health records, billing, analytics and scheduling in a single system. This means that the physician can obtain much more information from the software. ADP AdvancedMD electronic Health Record Software This is electronic health record software designed to serve smaller and midsized practices. Thus, it is not advisable to use it on commercial and big enterprises. It is mostly made for premises and web-based options thus locking out the bulky users. Due to its smaller traffic, it is able to give detailed and precise information thus making it popular amongst the medium sized medical facilities. The software is also certified and has been developed for many specialties, specific templates and workflow tools (Software Advice, 2011). NueMD Complete The NueMD complete electronic health records software is a web based system for small practices. This means that to effectively use the software the user must be connected to the internet. Its main scoring point is the fact that it supports more than 100 specialties and sub specialties. It also possesses unique features and templates which are not found in many of the other electronic health records software. The software is a 2011/2012 ONC-ATCB certified thus making it legitimate. MediTouch HER This is software which offers comprehensive and exclusively web-based electronic health records solutions. This makes it more suitable for physicians looking to utilize iPads. The software is technologically updated and it offers a full set of features. Among its biggest advantages is that its interface is easy to use and it includes a touch screen. Hence, it is quite convenient and time saving software. The software legitimacy is proven by the fact that it is fully certified (Software Advice, 2011). MedLedger MedLedger is also web-based electronic health records software specially designed for solo and small practices. It is endowed with many different and important features for the benefit of the user. Among its specialized features is wireless and tablet support. It also has an interaction check and health protocol check among others. This makes it compatible with solo users or small numbers of medical practitioners. As most of the other electronic health records software, MedLedgers is also certified. CareTracker CareTracker electronic health records software is a cloud-based system that is compatible with most of the specialties and sizes. The software is endowed with most of the features that are found in most of the other electronic health record software. This, therefore, makes it a combination of many systems. Amongst its most outstanding features are e-prescribing, order entry and lad integration to name but a few. This makes most medical practitioners prefer to use it since they do not need different systems to retrieve the required information. The software is also ONC-ATCB certified. The large number of electronic health records software clearly shows that over time they have become an important component of the medical practice. It also shows that the medical practitioners have embraced the advantages that come with the electronic health records software. This is primarily to make their work easier. This is because the software not only helps the physicians to have full information on their patients, but it also reduces the burden on the patients of carrying manual records on their health. Thus, the electronic health records software popularity will continue to rise amongst the players in the health sector as time goes by (Health, 2011). It is also evident that the electronic health records software are designed in the latest and most efficient technology so far. Majority of them possess advanced features which keep on improving with time. This is a clear indication that as more inventions and researches continue to be done, more advanced and efficient electronic health records software will be made. As a result, the advanced systems will accomplish more and keep more detailed information. It will also be possible to receive treatment anywhere in the world from different physicians since they will be able to access full medical records. Hence, the electronic health records software have a promising future where they will be more advanced and widely used. References Health (2011), Electronic health software records. Retrieved from: http://www.ehow.com/about_4728003_electronic-health-record-software.html Software Advice, (2011). Top 10 most recommended systems. Retrieved from: http://www.softwareadvice.com/medical/electronic-medical-record-software-comparison/ U.S Department of Health and Human Services, (2011), Electronic health records. Retrieved from: https://www.cms.gov/ehealthrecords/ Read More